Outside Inspiration: Beyond Design to Storytelling

Vicki Grant is a ceramicist creating wall sculpture that seems abstract and primarily design based, but taking some time to look over the elements, a story starts to emerge. Like in this piece here, the growth of flowers, the unusual sky and what looks to be tortured earth makes you start to wonder what is really going on in this scene.

Stories don’t have to be literally represented. I think the abstraction of imagery allows for more emotion to be coaxed from the viewer as their own experiences and memories fill in the spaces that are well defined or easily interpreted.

So if you’re looking for ways to change up your work, you can try pushing it to be more or less abstract than you usually work.  If your pieces are primarily composed of abstract design elements, you can work on creating more recognizable imagery or use abstract symbols to map out a story. Or if you use literal imagery, try adding a bit of abstraction to leave more open to the viewer’s interpretation.

For more ideas and eye candy, take a look at Vicki’s website,  Claytree Fine Art.

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